Polymorphisms in the APOBEC3G gene of Chinese rhesus macaques affect resistance to ubiquitination and degradation mediated by HIV-2 Vif

In this study, we therefore genotypedAPOBEC3G in 35 Chinese rhesus macaques. We identified a novel transcript and 27APOBEC3G polymorphisms, including 20 non-synonymous variants and 7 synonymous mutation sites, of which 10 were novel. According to the predicted structure of the A3G protein, we predicted that the E88K and G212D mutations, both on the surface of the A3G protein, would have a significant effect on Vif-induced A3G degradation. However, anin vitro overexpression assay showed that these mutations did not influence HIV-2-Vif-mediated degradation of APOBEC3G. Unexpectedly, another polymorphism L71R, conferred resistance to Vif-mediated ubiquitin degradation, strongly suggesting that L71R might play an important role in antiviral defense mechanisms.
Source: Archives of Virology - Category: Virology Source Type: research